The Bulls finally jumped out to an impressive lead Wednesday night against the Washington Wizards.
They took their biggest lead of the season–16 points–in the first quarter as Toni Kukoc tallied 11 points, and had 14 for the half.
Kukoc, making his first appearance since Nov. 12, had missed 24 games with back spasms.
“We fully expect for there to be some rust,” coach Tim Floyd said cautiously before the game. “And we fully expect for there to be some problems early on. You just hope that maybe the shot is still there.”
The Bulls’ 29-18 first-period lead and 50-36 halftime advantage went right according to Floyd’s plan.
“I think it’s real important,” Floyd said. “And, as important is the ballhandling early in the game. Our turnovers have typically come early in the game that we used to see in the third quarter.”
The Bulls, the lowest-scoring team in the NBA, shot 47 percent from the field in the first half.
Make believe: Because of the number of injuries, the Bulls have had problems conducting decent practices this season.
“We had to use one of the coaches today for the walk-through [practice],” center Will Perdue said. “Phil Johnson was playing [Jahidi White of the Wizards]. He said he had the `handles,’ but I didn’t believe him. It was only a walk-through, going through their plays. Phil said he didn’t want to embarrass us.”
The Bulls even considered using former player Pete Myers in their practice sessions, now that he is a member of the organization as a scout.
“It is my understanding that he can’t [according to NBA rules], but it has been thought about,” Floyd said.
“We have pretty much had to put this team together with Band-Aids at this point,” Perdue said. “As we are spiraling downward, in an attempt to grab any tree limb that is sticking out, they are trying to do a couple different things as far as personnel goes. At the same time we are trying to stay within the framework of what we are trying to accomplish, which is winning.”
Help on the way: General Manager Jerry Krause was on the road scouting Wednesday, looking for more players to help his injury-depleted roster.
Former Houston guard Matt Maloney was scheduled to be at the United Center Wednesday night following a physical examination and he may sign with the Bulls soon.
“That’s where Jerry is leaning, but nothing is over until it’s over,” said Floyd of the 6-foot-3-inch guard from Penn whom the Rockets cut at the start of the season. “And there are still possibilities of other moves. There is a possibility that Jerry could be working on another situation. He said he was going to pursue other options.”
Streaky: Rookie Ron Artest is fifth among NBA rookies in scoring (11.4) but he had hit on only seven of his previous 28 field goal attempts entering Wednesday night’s game.
“I think that all players, when they go through shooting slumps, must identify where their shots are coming from and where they are trying to shoot themselves out of the slump from,” Floyd said. “In Ron’s case, I think he has settled for too many perimeter shots. He needs to play with a more aggressive nature offensively. More medium-range shots. I think that would help him. He is going through a confidence problem right now. It’s also the result of probably playing too many minutes at this stage of his career. And having to play multiple positions at this stage of his career, having to think about things other than just playing in a rhythm offensively.”
